Chu Beihe frowned slightly. It wasn't the first time he had seen Jiang Xuxu act like this in front of him, but last time she had been subtle. This time, she was doing it quite openly.
His dark eyes narrowed as he asked, "What is in your hand?"
Hearing his question, Jiang Xuxu knew he couldn't see it. This was normal. Ever since she started practicing the Xuan Arts, she had met many people from the Xuanmen. Most of them could only see Yin energy and ghosts; they didn't have her ability to see so many "colors."
Since they were already speaking openly, Jiang Xuxu had no intention of hiding it from him. Her expression turned solemn as she looked at him.
"In my hand," she said, "is Golden Light of Merit." After a pause, she added, "I plucked it off your body."
Chu Beihe: "..."
"You have a lot of Golden Light of Merit on you," Jiang Xuxu continued. "Every time I see you, it's actually a bit blinding."
Chu Beihe: "..."
He finally understood why she always blinked so hard whenever she saw him. "What is this Golden Light of Merit?"
"Generally speaking, this light only appears on people with Great Merit. However, I've looked into it, and aside from occasionally attending charity auctions, you haven't done anything particularly outstanding in this life. This light likely comes from the Karmic Merit you accumulated in your past life."
Jiang Xuxu explained, "With this light protecting your body, you are warding off all evil. In your past life, you were probably an incredibly virtuous person. You can think of it as a form of Karmic Reward."
She said "probably" because she couldn't actually read his face at all. In fact, just trying to see his features through that Golden Light of Merit was exhausting for her eyes.
What Jiang Xuxu didn't see was a faint flash of mockery in the depths of Chu Beihe's eyes when she mentioned the term Karmic Reward. That mockery was hidden within the golden light and vanished in an instant.
When he looked at Jiang Xuxu again, his gaze was once more deep and indifferent. "This Golden Light of Merit is useful to you."
It was a statement, not a question, delivered with absolute certainty.
Chu Beihe was, after all, the youngest head the Chu family had ever had. His mind was sharper than most. Based on his brief encounters with Jiang Xuxu, he didn't think she was the type who enjoyed explaining things out of the goodness of her heart.
Yet, not only had she spoken, she had explained everything in great detail. Combined with the fact that she had tried to sneakily "pluck" some from him before, it was obvious she had designs on the golden light on his body.
Jiang Xuxu hadn't expected him to see through her intentions before she even spoke, but that didn't stop her from admitting it frankly.
"I am indeed a little interested in you." She spoke with a straight face, but seeing his deep, dark phoenix eyes, she felt a bit embarrassed and clarified, "Specifically, I'm very interested in your Golden Light of Merit."
She was almost certain that her ability to summon Purple Lightning last time was entirely due to the boost from his golden light. Furthermore, she had just seen with her own eyes how his golden light had dispelled Resentful Energy that even professionals couldn't handle. It was clear this light did more than just ward off evil.
She was blunt, but Chu Beihe didn't dislike that bluntness. He watched her silently, as if waiting for her to continue.
However, Jiang Xuxu didn't speak. Just as she was about to open her mouth, her attention was caught by an object on the curio shelf behind Chu Beihe.
When his wait yielded no further words, Chu Beihe frowned and was about to remind her when Jiang Xuxu suddenly stood up. She brushed past him and walked straight toward the curio shelf.
The shelf was filled with collectibles, but Jiang Xuxu's gaze was fixed on a withered branch kept under a glass cover in the corner. It was black.
Thousand-Year Lightning-Struck Peach Wood. It was exactly like the one her master owned!
In that moment, Jiang Xuxu forgot all about the golden light. She pointed at the peach wood branch, her eyes burning with a sharp, serious intensity as she asked, "Where did this wood come from?"
Seeing her grave expression, Chu Beihe raised an eyebrow. Among all the items in the room, that peach branch was indeed the one with the most unique origin.
"A friend left it here temporarily," Chu Beihe said calmly.
Jiang Xuxu's eyes trembled. "What kind of friend? Male or female? How old? What's her name? Do you have a photo?"
It was a barrage of questions. She had clearly forgotten that they barely knew each other.
Chu Beihe didn't feel offended by her intrusion. After a moment of silence, he simply said, "Female, about my age. She didn't give a name. She left the item here and said someone would come to collect it for her."
What he didn't mention was that when the woman gave him the item, she had acted as if she owned the place, picking out a spot on the curio shelf herself. That spot had originally held an ancient dagger. She had taken his dagger and put that piece of seemingly broken wood in its place.
As someone with obsessive-compulsive tendencies, Chu Beihe naturally couldn't stand such an eyesore sitting in his study, taking up space on his shelf. However... he couldn't take it down. It looked like an ordinary glass cover, but no matter what he did, it wouldn't budge an inch. Eventually, he had been forced to leave the branch where it was, and over time, he had grown used to seeing it.
Chu Beihe was about to tell Jiang Xuxu that the item couldn't be removed, but before he could speak, she reached out. He watched as the glass cover that wouldn't move for him was lifted effortlessly by her hand. Then, she picked up the peach branch with a swift, clean motion and held it in her palm.
Chu Beihe: "..."
Seeing this, Chu Beihe understood completely. The woman had said someone would come to take it, and that person was undoubtedly the Jiang Xuxu standing before him. But how could that woman have known that Jiang Xuxu would see this object in his study?
"What is that?" Chu Beihe actually knew what it was; he had researched it online. Lightning-Struck Peach Wood. While rare, it didn't hold much value for collectors. But people in the Xuanmen seemed to prize it highly.
Jiang Xuxu replied, "This is my master's Thousand-Year Lightning-Struck Peach Wood."
Her master had been carrying this when she disappeared. Her master had also said she would leave it for her. Jiang Xuxu looked at Chu Beihe again, her eyes filled with suspicion and scrutiny.
What was the relationship between her master and Chu Beihe? Why would she leave this wood with him? Why did she want Jiang Xuxu to be the one to retrieve it? Could her master also see the Golden Light of Merit on him? Did her disappearance have something to do with him?
Her mind raced with a thousand thoughts. Suddenly, she thought of something else. With a subtle look in her eyes, she asked him, "Besides this wood, did she leave you anything else?"
Chu Beihe shook his head. "No."
Jiang Xuxu breathed a sigh of relief, only for him to continue, "But before she left, she drew something on my palm. I haven't been able to wash it off since."
As someone who valued order and cleanliness, that mark had tormented him for a long time.
Jiang Xuxu's heart skipped a beat. She stepped forward quickly, and without a second thought, she grabbed his right hand to look at his palm. There, in the man's broad hand, was a red Peach Wood Mark.
Jiang Xuxu's lip twitched. She silently clenched her own left hand, because on her own palm was a Peach Wood Mark identical to the one on this powerhouse.
Her master had once told her that if she ever met someone with a mark exactly like the one she had planted on her own palm...
She shouldn't doubt it. That man was the fiancé her master had chosen for her.
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